Blue Dresses and Jealousy
by Poolday
Summary: Eames, Arthur, Ariadne and Yusif are back in business. Though when Ariadne gets signed into an extraction she'd rather not apart of, Arthur is sure to tell her how he really feels.


People, conversation and laughs ran over Ariadne and Eames easily as they stood in line to the party. Ariadne, as a nervous tick, smoothed her hands over her midnight blue dress. It was long, brushing the floor and cut straight so it brushed the sides of her legs until it hit the floor. Its swooping neck was ruffled, making her small chest seem bigger. Diamonds glittered where her scarf would usually rest and she felt naked and exposed without the reassuring fabric hugging her neck. Her eyes nervously traced over the huge wooden doors that she new every detail of. Including the small smiley face on the bottom right hand corner that she was too immature to leave out.

Everyone around her was starring and although she felt confident that it was because she looked nice, and not because she looked horrific, she was still nervous about her curly hair that was half tied up was out of place, that her light, natural toned makeup was smearing or that her dress had stained someplace. God knows where, but knowing Ariadne's luck, the stain would probably be there. A light tap on her arm made her nervous gaze peel away from the wooden door and to the side.

"Are you alright, love?" Eames asked her as they took a small step forward. Their arms were laced and they didn't need to huddle together for warmth- it was a beautiful 70 degrees out which was perfect weather for Ariadne's spaghetti strapped dress.

"Of course. Just, um, nervous." Ariadne admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Don't fret, you look absolutely smashing," he replied with a smile.

She restrained from rolling her eyes but instead smiled thankfully at him. She told him that he didn't look too bad- for a blonde. That got a laugh out of him. He forged himself as a blonde haired, brown eyes and short man for tonight but Ariadne saw through the mirage, where his real looks lie. He wore a striking gray suit- per usual- and a white tie that blended in with his white suit shirt. But it was there turn to get to the guarded gates. Eames flashed the invitation with a charming smile and they both entered the ballroom.

"Remember. Find Mr. John Davis and try to get as much information you possibly can without making him suspicious. If he does anything strange, back out immediately," Eames whispered to her as they came into the ballroom. She nodded and they made their way over to a small area where not a lot of people were crowding around.

Ah yes, another extraction. This time for a partnered company that blames John for the disappearance of $5,000 every month. The only proof that the partnered company had was that the money started to disappear when they had made the deal to partner with John Davis's stock company. Thus the reason the old team was sent in. Minus Dom, though. Dom had finally realized that his children needed him more than his desires and slowly he, once again, became their father. But, alas, Yusif was left in reality to take care of all the sleeping bodies… again. That left three.

Ariadne, oddly enough, was supposed to be sitting at home right now, sipping a cup of tea and watching a late night game show. She was supposed to make the level and leave all of this to both Arthur and Eames. But then Arthur, the ever diligent point-man discovered two faces. One, that Davis's mind was armed and two, that he LOVED women.

But in return, the women loved him. John Davis was a handsome, rich owner of a stock company. He had blonde hair, icy blue colored eyes and a charming white smile. Frankly though, Ariadne would have loved to stay home for this mission. The recently divorced man gave her bad vibes. But she had to do it for the team. She had to. So against Arthur's better judgment, she was now part of the extraction.

As soon as they got into the ballroom, some people gaped and gasped. But since Ariadne knew every single vein in the marble, the effect was lost on her. So instead of looking at the huge, completely marble room, or looking at the guests or even for the target, she searched for Arthur. Alas, instead of finding the only person that could smile a little at her and tell her that he had it under control, her eyes met with the targets. She immediately got into acting mode and tossed him what she hoped would be a dazzling smile before Eames pulled her into a huge.

"Alright, dear _cousin_, I'm going to go with Arthur and start to make sure that the guards are distracted. We'll be here to pick you up," he said quickly in her ear. Pulling away, he gave her one last smile before disappearing into the crowd. She swallowed and tried to follow his movements with her eyes, desperately trying to find Arthur. No such luck.

Deciding that her petty fears were not important compared to the mission, she let her big brown eyes travel back to where she had last spotted Davis. She found his icy blue eyes again and smiled. She saw him quickly hand his Champaign over to the man he was talking to and weave his way through the crowd towards her. Figuring his intention, she stayed put. Finally he reached her and she was happy to see that he was a bit… warmer in 'real life' than he was in the photos.

"Hello," she said softly, her smile crinkling the skin in the corner of her eyes.

"Hello," he responded. "I'm John Davis," he said, holding out a hand. She delicately took it and rubbed his lips against her knuckles. Despite herself, she blushed. It was a simple reaction from a woman who hadn't gotten any male attention in over three years. It was only natural to bluish if a handsome man came to you and kissed your knuckles.

"Samantha," she responded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Samantha," he said, releasing her hand. She made sure to make it drop back into place at her side elegantly and not with its usual ungraceful motions.

"Are you the one hosting this party?" She asked, starting a conversation. They talked with each other and laughed. In the small part of her brain, Ariadne realized that she didn't have to force herself to enjoy the conversation. But finally he has the million dollar question-

"Would you like to dance?" Ariadne only nodded in return.

Together they traveled elegantly to the floor and positioned themselves just so. She made sure to keep several inches between their bodies as their hands settled. He may be handsome but he was also a target. Plus, they always said to be professional at work. Inside her heart she wished that Eames could have just taken her place, forged as a beautiful woman in a blue dress instead of her. But her practical side kicked her nervous side and told her he was busy taking out the man's guards so she could be safe talking to him openly.

The swell of the music suddenly started up again and they twisted and turned in tune with the string's music. It felt a bit awkward and rehearsed, his hand on her hip feeling odd against her skin and out of place. She also found that she was awkwardly avoiding his gaze although she had seemed so much normal a few moments ago.

"So, who was the man you came with tonight?" He asked her nonchalantly. She suppressed a smile.

"That was my cousin," she said simply. She could feel underneath his fingers that his tense muscles relaxed. They were silent until he asked another question.

"Do you have a certain type of man you like, Samantha?"

Ariadne was so taken aback by the blunt and outright question that she almost stumbled in her dance steps. But, straightening herself, she looked up to him and smiled, playing along.

"Well," she started. An image bloomed in her mind. "I like a guy to be quiet, thoughtful, sweet and smart. He shouldn't be too serious though and he should make silly jokes that he usually wouldn't make around anyone else. He should smile whenever he sees me and…" she hesitated. His eyebrows rose and his eyes urged her on.

_And he must steal kisses- even at the most irrational times. _

"Well, it's a bit silly, but he should share a secret to me. It would show that they trust me enough. And then, in return, I would gain their trust by not speaking about it. My ex-boyfriend once told me his companies secret and I dated him for five some years!" Ariadne lied. Davis's eyebrows shot upwards.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He wanted to break it off," Ariadne said with a shrug and a sigh. She flushed, as if realizing how ridiculous it sounded. "I'm so sorry- I shouldn't be talking about this during our first dance!" Davis laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. Besides, that man is a fool, letting someone as beautiful as you go," he said with a smile. Again Ariadne blushed and smiled shyly, glancing down in embarrassment.

"Could I… show you something?" Davis said suddenly. Ariadne looked up to him in astonishment. If this was going where she thought it was going, than this mission was WAY too easy!

"Of course," she said.

He smiled and Ariadne found herself smiling back. They trailed towards the huge marble steps and they went up them, passing couples watching the dancing figures out on the floor, wrapped in each others arms. The two came to a small office that seemed oddly out of place in the completely marble building. It had a warm, country feel to it with a fire place, wooden floors, warm brown walls and a huge oak desk with matching chairs in the middle. Pictures of the country side were scattered around the room and Ariadne paused at the doorway to take in her work. Meanwhile, Davis slowly went to the wall behind his desk.

"This is where I keep my company safe." He said quietly. "This is where all my secrets are held," he said, gazing back at her. She smiled.

"You're telling me this so soon?" She asked with a teasing tone. He smiled at her sadly and she felt her heart restrict.

"I just have a feeling I'll never be able to see you again," he said quietly. She opened her mouth to respond but Davis's eyes snapped towards the door and he took a giant step so he was at the foot of his desk- not near the wall. Turning to glance where his hard gaze was, she nearly let out an aggravated sigh.

There was Eames, forging himself to look like a 50 year old man with warm blue eyes and graying black hair. His eyes cut to her but she kept a peaceful, guarded smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but may I know where the men's room is?" He asked in an American accent. Davis told him and Eames tossed a hard, cold glance at Ariadne. She smiled at him as he disappeared. She knew that look. Dom gave it to her a lot during the Inception job.

Don't. Do. Anything. _Stupid_.

"Come on John, let's go dance some more, hm?" She said, holding her hand out to him. He gave her s smile and together they made their way back to the dance floor. They were quick to start dancing again, but being upstairs, they missed a large chunk of the song, thus leading it to end soon. They stood in the stationary position, waiting for the next song to come up when a voice cut in.

"Do you mind if I have a dance?" Arthur asked.

Ariadne's eyes almost popped out of her head. If she thought EAMES was good looking, than Arthur could be compared to a God. He wore a clean black suit and a gray and blue tie. Since Arthur was known for wearing the suit pants and suit shirt, the image to her was somehow familiar. But add a jacket and a tie and she almost wanted him to take her then and there.

"John, I'll meet you over at the food table okay?" Ariadne said quietly, turning towards Davis. His icy eyes starred Arthur down like a jealous girl would at another girl with cute shoes. But Davis stepped back and disappeared into the crowd. Quickly Ariadne took Arthurs hand in her own and the got into the standard position.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said with a smile.

She matched it with her own. As if on cue, the music started and they began to sway to the music, their bodies gracefully moving across the ballroom floor. Even though they were in the same position that Davis and herself had been in, Ariadne felt completely different. She felt that every breathe they made together was magical. She could feel his warm hand fitting snuggly in the curve of her hip. She felt her skin twitch and jump as if being jolted with electricity every time the fabric underneath his fingers moved an inch. And to top it all off, she couldn't break her gaze from his eyes.

"You look good, Arthur," she finally managed out. "Feel good in your true form?"

"Funny. But, between the two of us, I'd say you'd look absolutely stunning compared to me," he said with a smile. She gave him a lopsided grin.

"Well, it's a change from scarves and jeans," she replied. He chuckled.

"How did the guard hunting go?" She asked. Arthur pressed his lips in a thin line and gave the place a once over.

"Good, but I expect that there will be more. Do you know where the safe is?" He asked. Ariadne nodded.

"Its in his office. Behind his desk, in the wall. Says he keeps all of his company's history in there." She said, happy that she had completed her mission. She expected to see him smile or say, 'good job' but all she got was a concentrated look. She squeezed his shoulder, where her hand was resting. His eyes met hers.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly, cocking her head at him with concern.

"Did he…?" He asked, trailing off. Ariadne blinked and suddenly remembered Davis. Oh God, how could she ever feel bashful in his presence? Now with Arthur here… she felt like he was a simple high school crush from forever ago.

"Oh, geeze, Arthur!" She said, her face heating. "Of course not. He may be a scumbag that likes women, but he's a classy scumbag at a party he's hosted. He's not going to do that here, not now," she responded. Arthur's look lightened.

"Well, I know he's taken a liking to you," Arthur said with a smug look. Ariadne's eyebrows rose in question. Arthur's eyes flicked over to where the food was and his grin broadened. "I know he's quite jealous." Ariadne didn't have to glance over her shoulder to know he was starring them down.

"How do you know that he's jealous?" She asked with a breathless challenge in her voice.

"Because, Ariadne," he said, leaning closer to her. They stopped dancing and she never realized how close they were. Their toes were practically touching. His voice felt hot and husky against her ear, making her heart speed up so dramatically. "If you dancing with a man like him can get _me_ jealous… than he is drowning in jealousy." He said huskily.

She swallowed hard and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eames fly down the stairs followed by three huge, heavily armed men. He glanced at them wildly, fanning a huge stack of papers back and forth in the air. Eames had gotten the information and ruined the mission at the same exact time. Ariadne thought in the back of her mind that he was smart enough to figure out where the safe was without her help. All eyes turned to the spectacle. Even the music stopped. But Ariadne and Arthur stayed the same, locked in the dancing position as if they were paused in the middle of the music. Their eyes blazed into each others and slowly she let out a hot breath of want.

"Quick," she whispered hoarsely. Arthur's eyes never left hers but they clouded with lusty emotion. "Kiss me."

And he did.


End file.
